As promised after its cinematic trailer at last year’s E3,Halo Infinitehas stayed pretty dark. That is about change in July when the next-gen game gets itsfull reveal at the Xbox 20/20 eventthat promises to showcase first-party games from the Xbox Studios. Despite rumors and supposed leaks, with one of the most recent “leaks” officially deemed fake by developer 34 Industries itself, very little is known about the game.
That hasn’t stopped fans from speculating with what little trailers, footage, and sneak peeks 343 has given. The general consensus is thatHalo Infinitewill attempt to bring back some of the classic magic of the franchise’s earlier entries. A return to an art style reminiscent of the first fewHalogames andpromises to include split-screen local multiplayerhave been hints that 343 has a vision to satisfy longtime fans ofHalo.
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With that in mind, 343 has a large and successful history from which to pull. This will be the developer’s third mainlineHalogame, so it should have plenty of its own experience and lessons learned to influence the development of its next game in addition to the previous games developed by Bungie. While it is unknown just how 343 will take all those ingredients of the old and the new to cook upHalo Infinite, there are some favorite and “best” elements of the franchise that 343 will hopefully pull back intoHalo Infinite.
An Approachable but Multi-layered Narrative
When Bungie developedHalo, many of its stories were approachable and simple enough to understand and engage with. InHalo, players are a supersoldier who crash lands a mysterious alien ring-planet and has to get off of it. InHalo 2, aliens are attacking earth, which needs to be defended and there’s a civil war brewing between the alien factions. InHalo 3, Cortana is lost and Master Chief needs to recover her.Halo: ODSTandHalo: Reachhave even more focused narratives that forego much of the epic space opera backstory of the mainline entries. Of course, a lot happens around those simple story conceits, but the games were much easier to follow.
Underneath the main narrative, there was plenty of mystery and sub-plot aboutthe Forerunners, the Mantle of Responsibility, and other elements that might be described as the franchise’s lore. But players did not have to understand much of it to understand the story itself or enjoy the game. If players did want to dive deeper into those layers of the narrative they could, including with media outside of the game itself.
Alternatively,Halo 4andHalo 5depended much more on the deeper loreof theHalofranchise for its story. As a result, the story became harder to understand for those who did not invest in the full lore and narratives of theHalouniverse. Hopefully,Halo Infinitewill bring an approachable narrative that anyone can jump into, comprehend and enjoy, while providing enough mystery and context for those willing and wanting to jump in deeper.
Balanced, Competitive Multiplayer
The coreHalocompetitive multiplayer experience that many who played the games enjoyed was that it is most focused on individual skill per match instead of on weapon and gear upgrades or advantages given to those who have played the longest. Those who playedHalothe longest were often the best atHalosimply because they playedHalothe longest, developing high-level skill at the game in both gun-skill and map knowledge. It was not because they leveled up their weapons, perfected their loadout,prestiged multiple times, purchased the best stuff with microtransactions, or any other way players can gain an advantage in many modern games.
Players expected to jump into a game on equal footing with their opponents who have the same weapon and abilities. The flow of the map was dictated by where more powerful weapons and equipment were located on the map, which would pull opponents into duels with the winner able to claim the advantage of that item.
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PastHalogames have deviated from that formula, but ifHalo Infiniteis trying to recapture that magic, it would do well to keep multiplayer competitive and balanced.Halo 5did a better job at this thanHalo 4, so 343 has made good on delivering on this classicHaloexperience. And withbig esports plans announced, chances are good that 343 is paying special attention to the competitive side ofHalo Infinite.
A Surprise
TheHalofranchise was hugely popular because it often had a surprise, a new innovation, or a refinement of the genre that made it stand out as something unique. In recent entries, whilenew content and gametypeshave been added, many of theme have not landed as successfully as those in the past. HopefullyHalo Infinitecan bring back that big surprise element that got fans so excited in the past.
Because there is so much mystery surroundingHalo Infinite, it is possible that there is at least one big surprise coming that will wow longtime fans and new players alike to draw them toHalo. It has been five years since the release ofHalo 5and the gaming landscape has changed tremendously. Hero shooters likeOverwatchand battle royales likeFortniteandCall of Duty: Warzonedid not even exist back in 2015. In 2020,Halo Infinitewill be launching into a whole new world.
The challenge has always been to successfully blend the old and the new. Bungie even talked about that back when it was developingHalo—how to innovate and bring new ideas to the table while not upsetting longtime players with changes to the formula. That tension hasn’t gone away with 343 often being criticized with itsHalogames as evolving too much and not keeping things classic enough.
Space Combat
Halo: Reachfirst introduced space combat into the franchise in its Long Night of Solace mission.Halo 4brought back space combat for its finale mission. Vehicles and vehicular combat has always been a major part ofHalo, and it is completely expected as a core of the experience to have vehicles like the Warthog, Mongoose, and Banshee. But every timeHalohas ventured outside the atmosphere to give players an interstellar ship battle, it has worked. While it hasn’t appeared in every game, it has been done successfully in the past and should also be inHalo Infinite.
Halo Infiniteis set to release holiday 2020 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
